Hospital gown

ABSTRACT

A HOSPITAL GOWN IS FORMED WITH WING-LIKE PORTIONS WHICH ARE VERY LOOSELY ARRANGED AND DRAPED ABOUT THE ARMS OF THE PATIENT ALLOWING QUICK AND EASY ACCESS TO THE PATIENT&#39;&#39;S CHEST AND ARMS WITHOUT EXPOSING THE PATIENT OR NECESSITATING CUTTING AND TEARING OF THE GOWN.

Jan 1971 J. M. HENDRICKSON 3, 57,

HOSPITAL GOWN Filed Aug. 28, 1968 lNVENTOR JANE M. HENDRICKSON MW %;%,W

ATTYS United States Patent Ofiice Patented Jan. 26, 1971 3,557,385HOSPITAL GOWN Jane M. Hendrickson, 426 Countryside Drive, Wheaten, Ill.60187 Filed Aug. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 756,038 Int. Cl. A4111 9/00 U.S. Cl.2-114 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hospital gown is formed withwing-like portions which are very loosely arranged and draped about thearms of the patient allowing quick and easy access to the patients chestand arms without exposing the patient or necessitating cutting andtearing of the gown.

This invention relates to garments and, more particularly, to gowns wornby patients in hospitals.

Commonly used hospital gowns are formed with conventional sleeves whichinterfere with access to a patients chest or upper arm by a doctor ornurse. As a result, the sleeves are often torn or cut to provide quickaccess to the chest or arms of patients who are in intensive care andpost-surgical rooms. It will be appreciated that such sleeves interferewith the taking of blood pressure, venous pressure, intravenousfeedings, blood transfusions, checking of drains or the changing ofdressings, particularly when the patient is comatose. Also when changinggowns on patients who are being restrained with wrist cuffs, it issometimes necessary to cut the gown off the patient.

Other shortcomings of the conventional hospital gown are that it isusually difficult for one person to put the gown on a comatose patient.Also, many gowns are open in the back exposing the patients back whichfeels cold. Also, patients complain that the gowns become twisted underthe patients back and feel uncomfortable.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved hospital gown which is formed without the conventional sleeves,yet covers the patient and affords easy access for nursing services orexamination by the doctor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a hospital gown, when opened, and showing thepreferred embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a patient wearing the gown of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, for purposes of illustration theinvention is embodied in a hospital gown 11 which, very generally, isformed with a front portion or panel 13, a pair of wing portions orpanels 15 joined to the front panel (in lieu of the conventionalsleeves) and a pair of back panels 17. Means such as ties may beprovided for securing the gown about the patient. Preferably, the wingpanels 15 are so large that upper and outer portions thereof, as shownin FIG. 1, serve as falls" 19 (FIG. 2) which, when the gown is worn,fall across the back of the patient to keep the back covered. Also,sufficient material is provided in the wings 19 to drape loosely acrossthe upper arm of the patient so that, upon lifting of the wing,observation or nursing services may be readily provided to the patientsarm, upper shoulders or chest.

The gown 11 is particularly useful for patients who are undergoingintensive care or post-surgical care and are lying fiat, are comatoseand have attached tubes, drains, dressings, restraints or otherequipment which must be serviced by a nurse or inspected by a doctor.Heretofore, in such situations, it has been the practice that thepatient either be exposed, which is particularly undesirable from thestandpoint of comfort of the patient, or else the sleeve of the hospitalgown was cut or torn to provide suitable access to the desired area ofthe arm or chest. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, thepatients arms and chest are amply covered as the wings 15 are formedsufficiently long that outer curved edges 21 on the wings 15 extend toapproximately the elbow of the person when the wing panels are drapedover the patients arms. Additionally, the wing panels have falls 19which extend to cover a portion of the patients back, preferably withthe upper or outer edges 23 of the wings abutting or slightlyoverlapping, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The very generous amount ofmaterial provided for the wing panels 15 allows a doctor or nurse tolift a wing and thereby form a large tunnel-like opening giving accessto the patients chest and arm, although from the front the patientsbreasts will still be covered and will not be exposed to others.

Unlike many conventional hospital gowns, the gown 15 may be easilyapplied to a comatose patient by one person who merely lays the frontpanel 13 over the patient and ties a pair of upper ties 25 about thepatients neck and then drapes the wing panels 15 about the patientsarms. The falls 19 and back panels 17 may then be tucked under thepatient. It is usually possible to secure opposite ends of the lowerback panel ties 27 about the patients waist. If desired, a further pairof ties 29 may be provided at the juncture of the bottom of the wingpanels 15 and the top, inner edges of the back panels 17, as illustratedin FIG. 2. The ties 29 may be tied to the ties 27 in a crossed manner.That is, the tie 29 on the right side of the gown will be tied to thetie 27 on the leftside of the gown, and the left tie 29 will be tied tothe right tie 27.

Where the gown 11 is to be used on persons who are not comatose,securing means in the form of a single snap fastener having a projectinghalf or portion 44 and a receiving half or portion 45 for the projectingportion 45 may be provided along the edge 21 of the wing panels. In thisinstance, the respective halves of the snap fastener are secured bystitches to the inner side of the edge 21 of the wing panel. The wingpanels still drape over the patients arms and the snap fastener may beeasily undone. The wing panels still function dilferently then aconventional sleeve.

To provide an inexpensive and commercially competitive gown, the gown 11can be constructed with a relatively few number of panels and simpleFlat Fell seams, as will be described. For instance, the illustratedgown may be made from approximately 2 yards of 40 inch material and 2%yards of 1 inch cotton twill tape which is used about the neck portionof the gown and for the respective ties 25 and 27. By way of exampleonly and not for purposes of limitation, the dimensions of the preferredgown 11 will be given. The wing panels 15 are approximately 12 inchesalong the upper or inner edges 23; the outer curved edges of the wingpanels are particularly wide and full and, in this instance, are 40inches as measured along the curved edge 21 from a point 30 at the upperedges to the point at the back panels at the location of the ties 29.Preferably, the snap fastener half 44 is located about 16 inches fromthe point 30 and about 17 inches from the other snap fastner half 45.Along an inside seam 33 joining the wing panels to the front panel 13,the illustrated wing panels 15 are, in this example, about 16 inches inlength. Along the other edge of a collar 36 for the gown, the preferredwing panels 15 measure approximately 4 inches as measured along thecurve. In the preferred example of the invention, the collar 36 isformed by a small arcuately shaped panel 37 joined to the wing panelsand to the front panel 13 at the seam 35. The outer edge of the collaris hemmed with a soft cotton twill tape 39, the opposite ends of whichextend beyond the collar to form the ties 25.

In this example, the front panel 13 is approximately 10 inches along itsupper edge at the collar tape 39 and extends down about 37 inches to abottom hem 41. The illustrated back panels 17 are rectangular in shapeand are about approximately 10 inches in width and about 30 inches inlength along a seam 43 at which they are joined to the lower and outeredges of the front panel 13. The back panels 17 preferabl may be wrappedabout to enclose the buttocks of the patient when the ties 27 are tied.Thus, the patient is covered from the waist down so that the patient maybe moved in a wheel chair or allowed to walk about in the gown withoutbeing exposed. Additionally, the manner of mending the gown 11 isgreatly simplified as the gown is an open, fiat garment therebyproviding easy access to all areas thereof for mending.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the hospital gown isparticularly suited for facilitating examination of the patient or forproviding access for nursing care without the necessity for tearing thehospital gown at the location of the conventional sleeves of the priorart hospital gowns. The gown is made of relatively few and simple panelsand ties so as to be commercially competitive from a cost standpoint.The gown is comfortable and is extremely simple to apply to a comatosepatient.

While a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it will beunderstood that there is no intent to limit the invention by suchdisclosure but. rather, it is intended to cover all modifications andalternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A hospital patients gown comprising in planar condition an arcuatecollar having a central portion and side portions terminating inupwardly and inwardly facing ends, an elongated front panel having anupper portion. a waistline and a lower portion, said upper portionhaving an upper edge joined to said central portion of said arcuatecollar and downwardly and outwardly extending concave side edgesterminating on each side at points defining said waistline, said lowerportion having straight side edges extending vertically from said pointsand being of a width and length sufiicient to cover the front and sideportions of the patients lower torso and thighs, a pair of rectangularrear panels joined to said gown only at said lower portion of said frontpanel along the side edges thereof and extending outwardly from saidlower portion side edges a distance sufficient to allow the respectivefree ends thereof to fold about and cover the remaining portions of thepatients lower torso and thighs, a pair of wing panels formed separatelyfrom said front panel and joined to said front panel at seams along saidside edges of said front panel upper portion and to said arcuate collarside portions, said wing panels having upper free edges extendingupwardly and outwardly from the ends of said color side portions adistance approximating the distance from said collar to said waistline,said wing panels having an outwardly curved edge extending downwardlyfrom the outward end of said upper free edges to said waistlineterminating points, said curved edges having a pair of spaced releasablefasteners whereby said wing panels may be positioned across a wearersshoulders, cover and fasten about the wearers upper arms and cover thewearers back with said upper free edges in an overlapped condition,cooperating securement means at the upper free ends of said rear panelsand at said waistline terminating points for securing the garment at thewaist of a wearer, and securement means at the ends of said arcuatedcollar for securing the garment at the neck of the wearer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,270 6/19l7 Howard 2-881,3l6.364 9/1919 Howard 2-88 1,358,852 11/1920 Howard 2-88 2,808,59110/1957 Grant 2-88 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,198,128 6/l959 France 2-48 582,39011/1946 Great Britain 2-48 RICHARD J. SCANLAN, IR., Primary Examiner us.(:1. X.R. 2-43.74

